Seal-lock



(No Model.) i 3 SIkleets--Sheel'l 1.

J3 W. STEVENS.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. W. STEVENS.

SEAL LUCK.

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Patented May 24,1898.

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Patented May 24,1898.

(No Model.)

' UNITED vSTATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN WALTER STEVENS, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

SEAL-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,433, dated May 24, 1898. Application tiled J'une 1.5, 1897. Serial No. 640,806. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that l, JOHN WALTER STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Locks, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to that class of locks in which it is necessary to break a seal before access can be obtained to the car or other receptacle protected thereby; and the invention consists in the constructiomcombination, and arrangement of Y parts, as hereinafter shown and described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

This invention may be employed to secure many different kinds of receptacles for goods, but is more particularly applicable to freightcars, and for the purpose of illustration I have shown it thus applied in the drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of a section of a freight-car door and a section of the casing or stop on one side with one of my improved seal-locks attached thereto, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same on the line X X of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the breakable seals detached. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are perspective views of the parts composing the seal-locking mechanism detached. Fig. 8 is aside elevation, and Fig. 9 is a longitudinal elevation,illustrating a modiiication in the construction. Fig. 10 is a sectional vieW on the line a ,a of Fig. 8 looking downward. Figs. l1, 12, and 13 are views similar to Figs. l, 2, and 3, illustrating another modiiicationin the construction.

A represents a portion of the door, and A2 a portion of the stop upon the casing, of a freight-car.

B is a metal casing attached to the door A' and with ways or guides a to receive and support by its edges a2 a fragile or breakable seal D, having any required distinguishing mark or number upon its face. These seals are preferably formed of baked clay, but may be of any other easily fracturable substance. The lower edge of theseal will preferably be provided with a lip or rib b' to iit into a recess ?92 in the casing and prevent the insertion of an instrument beneath the seal to surreptitiously release it, as hereinafter shown.

E is a hasp pivoted in ears B2 on the casing B and with a cam or irregularity d on one side, as shown in Fig. 2.

F is a lever poised upon a fulcrum e in the casing and extending beneath the pivoted end of the hasp F. and also beneath the seal D and with its outer end provided with a stud e2, projecting through the cross partition or diaphragm B3, forming the bottom of the sealchamber. The stud is adapted to be forced against the back of the seal to break it when the hasp is turned outward and causes the cam d to actupon the lever F', as hereinafter more fully explained. A spring gis arranged between the diaphragm B3 and the lever F' to hold the lever normally in its outward position.

The outer or free end of the hasp E is formed with a lip E2, adapted to rest in the rear of a plate G upon the stop A2, so that when in place, as in Figs. l and 2, theY door A' cannot slide upon its ways.

As a precautionary measure a bolt H' will ,be arranged to slide in guide-lugs G2 G3 on projecting upward through an openin g in the diaphragm, as shown.

h3 is a pawl pivoted beneath the diaphragm and held in place by a spring h4, soV that'while the star-wheel or tumbler is free to turn in one direction it is prevented by the pawl'from turning in the opposite direction.

, As shown in Fig. 3, one ofthe points of the wheel or tumbler h will always be held to of the star-wheel or tumbler will revolve it and freely enter the ways a; but any attempt to remove the seal will be resisted by the in- IOO ability of the star-wheel to revolve backward. The wheel h serves a similar purpose to the revolving tumblers in some forms of commutation-locks, and for the purpose of dening this feature I have designated it as a tumbler, as well as a star-wheel, as it is evident that it need not necessarily be star-shaped that lthe desired result may be accomplished-namely,to insure the presence at all times of at least one of the points or projections into the path of the seal, so that a seal cannot be inserted without actuating the star-wheel or tumbler, and if that is done the seal is certain to be locked into the casing when inserted. Thus the removal of the seal is rendered impossible without breaking it.

rIhe back of the seal will be provided with a number of the indentations or cavities h5, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so that if by any means the seal should not be forced entirely home in its ways a' the projecting point of the starwheel or tumbler will lock the seal in the casing when engaged with any one of the recesses. The tumbler h' and lever F' are so inclosed by the casing B' and the seal D that they are completely inaccessible so long as the seal is intact.

In using this device the door A' is closed and the hasp E' turned over with the lip or edge E2 behind the plate G', as in Figs. l and 2. The breakable seal D is then inserted into the 'guides ct' until its upper edge strikes the projecting point of the tumbler h', which will revolve and allow the seal to pass over it, and when the cavities h5 pass over the revolving points the latter will enter them, and thus lock the seal into the casing. By this arrangement the removal of the seal without breaking it is an impossibility, and any attempt to move the hasp will actuate the lever F' and force the stud e2 against the back of the seal and break it outward.

The ,outer edge of the base of the casing B' will be provided with a lip or lug B4, adapted to enter a cavity in the stop A2 behind the plate G to effectually prevent the door from being moved bodily outward, which might be attempted in efforts to open the car without breaking the seal.

The heads of the bolts m' m2, by which the casing B and plate G' are secured, will be covered by the hasp E' when the door is locked, so that the casing or plate cannot be removed bodlily to open the door without breaking the sea In Figs. 8, 9, and l0 is shown the manner of arranging the mechanism when the invention is applied to a form of car-door hanger in common use, in which the locking mechanisln is connected to the ends of a perpendicular rod K'. In this construction when the door is closed the rod is held in one position, and when the door is to be opened the rod is turned one-half around, and by attaching a cam or lug K2 to this rod and by setting the casing so that the lever F will be actuated by this cam-lug the seal Will be broken in the same manner as in the other construction. As the different working parts in this construction are identical with those in the other, (shown in Figs. 1 and 2,) like letters of reference are employed to designate corresponding parts.

In Figs. 8, 9, and IO the cam-lug is designated K2 and performs precisely the same function as the lug or cam d in the other construction. The upper portion of the casing B' above the seal will be projected some distance, as shown at n, to form a shelter to protect the seal from rain or snow. I have shown one of the tumblers 71,', but two or more may be employed, if required. The ribs a.' do not extend down to the lower edge of the casing B', but a space is left below them, so that the surface of the lower part of the seal D is even with the adjacent surface of the casing B', so that no obstructions occur at the sides of the lower part of the seal against which snow or ice can lodge. The denoting numbers or other distinguishing-marks will preferably be placed upon the lower part of the seal, and as there will be no obstructions against which snow and ice can lodge the denoting-numbers will always remain legible. The hasp E' is shown with a joint at E3, so that the hasp will be flexible to prevent the breakage of the hasp-pivot when the hasp is used as a lever in sliding the door. The outer end of the hasp E' is provided with side projections Ei E5 to engage the lugs G3 G4and to insure the moving of the hasp outward to a point equal to the length of the lugs before it is free, so as to insure the movement of the hasp to an eX- tent sufficient to break the seal before the release of the hasp.

In Figs. 11, l2, and 13 the tumbler 7L' is shown arranged in a horizontal position in a recess B4 in the end of the casing and with the teeth or projections adapted to engage with cavities in the edge of the seal, instead of in the back, as in the other constructions; but the action and results are the same in both constructions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. In a seal-lock, a casing adapted to receive a breakable seal, a lever held normally poised against the rear of said seal, a wheel provided with projections on its rim and mounted to be revolved in said casing with one of said IOO IIO

jacent to said easing and adapted to hold the door closed, said lever being poised with one end against the back of said seal and the other held against said cam by a spring, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a seal-lock, the combination of a casing attached to the door of a car, a plate attached to the stop adjacent to the casing, a breakable seal held irremovably in said casing, a hasp hinged to said casing and adapted to break said seal when actuated and provided with a lip adapted to engage said plate and hold the door closed, substantially as shown and described. Y f.

4. In a seal-lock, the combination of a cas-- ing attached to the door of a car, a breakable seal held irremovably in said casing, a plate attached to the stop adjacent to the casing and having perforated lugs projecting therefrom, a hasp hinged to said casing and adapted to break said seal when actuated, and with side projections adapted to engage said lugs, whereby said door is held closed and means provided for the employment of a padlock or bolt as additional security, substantially as set forth.

5. In a seal-lock, a casing attached to the door of a car, a plate attached to the stop adjacent to the casing, a breakable seal held irremovably in said casing a hasp hinged to said casing and adapted to hold said door closed and to break said seal when actuated, and a lip upon said casing projecting beneath said plate upon said stop, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a seal-lock, a casing adapted to receive a breakable seal, a wheel provided With proj ections on its rim and mounted to be revolved in said casing with one of said projections adapted to enter a cavity in said seal, and a 4o path of the seal andenters the cavity therein,

whereby the path of the seal is never free from one of the projections, and the seal ,is prevented from being inserted into the easing without revolving said tumbler and automatically locking the seal therein, and means for preventing said tumbler from revolving backward, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 12th day of June, 1897.

JOHN WALTER STEVENS.

In presence of- F. W. REEvEs, C. N. WooDwARD. 

